Adventuring: West to the Beach

For my birthday, Joshua has been planning a couple day trips to go on this summer. We had our first adventure yesterday when we headed west over to the coast.

We started by driving through some pretty countryside to a road that runs along the Smith River. It was a beautiful drive, both to get to the river and driving along the river.

 We stopped at a favorite spot along the river which Joshua remembered from times he had been there with his family. One of the rope swings was still there, so we took turns swinging out over the river.

It was a beautiful day and so pretty and peaceful there by the river.

 We walked along the rocks and through the water to explore upstream a little way. Rivers are my favorite bodies of water and I was so happy to be near one again.

We saw lots of little fish and a few crawdads. After spending some time by the river, we headed further west and had a picnic lunch at a pullout by the ocean.

Then we went on the Hobbit trail through the woods.

It was a beautiful little trail with all kinds of overgrown side trails that looked perfect for hobbits. The trail exited the woods at Hobbit Beach.

We were both impressed by the beach. It was large with smooth sand, scattered shells and pretty rocks, and a cliff with rocks at the bottom that looked good for tide pools.

We sat and watched the waves for awhile, then walked along the water.

 A lot of the beach was pretty flat, so when the waves rolled out, they left a large thin sheet of water.

We headed to Old Town Florence for dinner and had seafood at Mo's. With our bellies full and feeling happy and worn out after our day of adventuring, we headed home.